They’re rolling: Stones add another Chicago show
NEW YORK — On Friday, the Rolling Stones said second shows have been added to their “50 and Counting” tour: One in Chicago — Friday, May 31, at the United Center — and another in Toronto. Tickets for the Chicago shows, which also include the previously announced Tuesday, May 28, show at the United Center, go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, April 8.
“Normally when you announce a tour like this, you announce part of it, you leave it to be, you see what happens, you might do a date here and another date there. You don’t want to be completely hand fast, so you do leave some dates in between,” Mick Jagger said in an interview Thursday. “So we’ll see what happens.”
The Stones announced earlier this week that they’ll kick off their “50 and Counting” tour in Los Angeles; the date will be announced later. The second show is in Oakland, Calif., on May 5. They’ll also visit Las Vegas, Toronto and Boston, and wrap in Philadelphia on June 18.
The announcement came months after the foursome performed a sold-out, five-city stint in New York, New Jersey and London.
Jagger called those shows a test.
“We just said, ‘Let’s do these five shows before Christmas and see how it goes and see if we enjoy it, see if the audience seems to have a good time, and if that works, then we’ll try to see if we’ll do more,’” he said. “We still wanted to keep it kind of limited. We didn’t want to have that yawning (tour) of hundreds of shows lined up for the next 18 months. I just thought it would be good if we booked a small tour, and then, you know, if we want to do more, we’ll do more.”
The Stones have at least three days in between tour stops, a sign that more shows may be added. Or the time could be used for rest.
“I think it’s a little bit of both,” Keith Richards said in a separate interview Thursday. “The band wants to pace themselves, but at the same time ... I guess what’s been announced is the bare-bones and we will play it by ear from there.”
The Stones’ last global tour kicked off in 2005 and wrapped in 2007.
Jagger, 69, said he’s getting older — and performing can be tough.
“I just have to train a lot and keep really fit. I want to do these moves, but I can’t do them because if I did, I’d probably screw up,” he said, laughing. “You just got to do what’s within your capabilities. I don’t want it to look wrong, so I’m going to stay within my boundaries.”
The Stones’ recent tour featured special guests such as Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga, and there could be more surprises onstage.
“I have a feeling there’s more openness about playing it the same way,” Richards said. “I can’t name names or make promises, but that area of the show is open.”
The veteran band, which also includes Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood, will headline the Glastonbury Festival on June 29 and will perform at London’s Hyde Park on July 6. Former bandmate Mick Taylor, a member of the Stones from 1969 through 1974, will be a special guest throughout the tour.
“I realized how much, not just (how I) myself have missed it, but I could tell from the other guys. They don’t say so, but I can tell,” Richards said of performing together. “It’s what we’re good at.”